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Burning Down the House to Live in a Tent



Luvs and Lovers, I often wake to some pure crap on my Twitter TL.  I have to side-eye much crap. I am seeing a push by Black intellectuals for a protest vote of not voting.  Seriously folks not voting is the plan?  Folks it doesn’t work that way.
The 35.9% of eligible votes cast in 2014 made a decision for all of the nation.  Every presidential election we have the cult of personality.  These are the people who either have no idea of government workings or seek to be part of something larger than themselves in every facet of their lives. If you don’t know your local and state elected officials then your voting every four years does nothing.  Your calls for creating a political party’s platform mean nothing.  The true seat of power in the United States is Congress.  That is why we have the upper and lower chambers of Congress.
Unlike the GOP, the Dems have been warned of an intent to tear down the Democratic Party.  The warning was going after the top spot in the party rather than starting at the ground level.  When you attempt to go for the top spot, rather than work from the ground up, you will face a defense that is well prepared.  I have more respect for those who peeped the game years ago and became involved at the ground level. 
These people took over their local citizen councils and other elected offices.  They understood the pen is mightier than the sword.   They also understood outside of starting an unwinnable war (see Civil War) the only way for change was from inside the system.  Penicillin works from within your system not by sitting on the shelf.  We have an excellent system of government in the United States.  People are not risking death to come here for no reason.
We don’t need to burn down the house to allow everyone shelter underneath the roof.  We only need to remove the furniture that is too old to be used for the good of anyone living in the house.   All my family got after Watts were regulations of Black life that were harsher than the ones they had fled in Mississippi.  I was born into an activist family.  My entire family is one big collection of activists.  We are not into it for fame or fortune.
Luvs and Lovers not voting doesn’t work.  The votes cast be they 3 or 1 million will determine our government. You wish to have change run for office, engage your elected officials, and vote often.  I’ve worked with Republican elected officials to get things done in my life that needed to be done.  Engagement needs not be a lost art form.
Every delegate at the DNC in Philadelphia should be making connections with their elected Democratic officials.  Rep. Bennie Thompson doesn’t represent my district but I know him. I used my time at the DNC wisely.  I didn’t ask, “What will you do for me?”  Instead I had discussions on what I would like to see happen. I presented my view of how it could be possible for it to happen.  I had a plan not a bitch.  Use your time wisely Luvs and Lovers.

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